Music archive entry

Flexible - four melody lines

This short piece was written in 2004: it is based on a piece written the previous year for four violins. At this time I was very interested in clarity of texture: as you can hear, the piece is all about the interaction of four polyphonic lines. The resulting music has a hint of the baroque, but the underlying harmonic language is contemporary, and there are some rhythmic shifts inspired by Benjamin Britten. I hope that the players will enjoy exploring the rhythmic and melodic vitality of each individual line.

The title reflects both the small scale of the piece and my more general concern to write small, unassuming works wherever possible.

Benjamin Wardhaugh, was born in 1979 and has studied in Cambridge, London and Oxford.